Bronchitis is an unpleasant condition characterized by a severe, hacking cough that can last for days or even months. Most of us seek traditional Western medical care for bronchitis, which often includes using medications. If you are seeking an alternative, effective, non-toxic, and safe solution to treat bronchitis, acupuncture and TCM can help. This blog provides more information on how acupuncture and TCM can treat bronchitis.

Understanding Bronchitis

Bronchitis is an infection of the bronchial tubes, which transport air from the throat to the lungs. When the bronchial tubes swell due to inflammation, it reduces the lung's ability and efficiency in moving air. This issue would cause mucus to build up, which can cause a deep, unpleasant, and potentially painful cough. You could also experience fatigue, wheezing, a mild fever, and difficulty breathing. Bronchitis can either be chronic or acute, depending on its nature.

Acute bronchitis is often caused by an infection and resolves over a week when the body's immune system clears off the bacteria. This is similar to getting a virus that causes pneumonia or the common cold. Chronic bronchitis involves the inflammation of the bronchial tubes and the lungs, which lasts for a long time and isn't caused by an infection.

Chronic bronchitis is characterized by a mucus-producing and persistent cough lasting for months or recurring annually. This can occur due to smoking or getting exposed to air pollution. Chronic bronchitis, like emphysema, is classified as a COPD, also known as a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Other respiratory illnesses, like sinusitis, asthma, tuberculosis, and whooping cough, can present symptoms similar to bronchitis.

Although acute bronchitis often disappears within a couple of weeks, a persistent cough could last longer. Since antibiotics cannot cure viral infections, the treatment is mainly limited to suppressing the cough and relieving the pain and discomfort.

Acupuncture and herbal medicine used in TCM can alleviate bronchitis symptoms without causing any adverse effects. It could also aid in removing infections and blockages in the lungs, preventing bronchitis from becoming a recurring condition.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture involves inserting thin, metallic needles into the patient's skin, which are subsequently triggered by the healthcare professional's hands using gentle and particular movements or electrical stimulation.

Acupuncture is an old form of Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practice. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe that the human body has over 2,000 acupuncture points linked by meridians or pathways.

These channels allow energy, Qi, to flow through the human body, which is essential for the patient's overall health. A disruption in the energy flow can bring on illnesses. Acupuncture is intended to enhance the energy flow of Qi, hence boosting health, by applying pressure to specific acupoints.

Many scientific studies have demonstrated that acupuncture is beneficial for many health problems. Acupuncture may only be suitable for a few individuals. If you seek an acupuncturist's help, talk it over with your physician first and look for a professional that is certified, adequately trained, and credentialed.

A Brief Overview of TCM

Traditional Chinese Medicine, abbreviated as TCM, is a comprehensive medical approach that has been utilized for over 2,000 years in diagnosing, treating, and preventing illness. TCM is rooted in yin and yang, opposing energies like heaven and earth, summer and winter, and grief and happiness. You feel both energized and relaxed when the yin and yang are balanced. However, your health will suffer if yin and yang are not in balance.

Additionally, TCM practitioners hold that every body part contains qi, pronounced "chee," or energy or life force. A balanced and unrestricted flow of qi is necessary for the balance of yin and yang as well as for the wellness of the body. Illness occurs when there is either excessive or insufficient qi in the body's energy lines, known as meridians, or when the passage of qi is impeded.

Yin and yang must be balanced to achieve TCM's ultimate purpose: to encourage qi's natural flow. Qi is sometimes compared to the breeze in a sail—we can't see the breeze directly, but we're aware of its existence as it surrounds the sail—in an intriguing analogy to understand its nature.

How Do TCM and Acupuncture Work?

Western medicine often compares the human body to a vehicle. It has various systems, each requiring the proper outputs and inputs. It's definite and logical. Traditional Chinese Medicine, on the other hand, doesn't regard Western medical and scientific principles. Instead, it is centered on harmony, vitality, and balance.

The life energy known as Qi is said to have a harmonious balance between yin and yang opposing forces. Advocates claim that diseases result from an imbalance between these forces. TCM believes that Qi runs along pathways or meridians in the body.

These energy flows and pathways are accessible through the body's 361 acupoints. The energy flow can be balanced again by placing needles in the right positions at the appropriate times on these acupuncture points.

Several acupoints are located in areas where electrical stimulation can impact the activity of numerous sensory neurons. These regions are also referred to as receptive fields. Physical stimulation from needle insertion at such points can influence pain processing in the muscles and central nervous system, as well as enhance the flow of blood to specific regions of the body.

A 2018 analysis evaluating acupuncture's impact on chronic pain discovered benefits that could be distinguished from placebo effects. Unfortunately, it is unclear how acupuncture works.

Signs of Bronchitis

When someone has acute bronchitis, their bronchial tubes swell, and their lungs produce excess mucus to clear the congestion. The major symptom of bronchitis involves coughing with yellowish or clear phlegm.

The following are the most common bronchitis symptoms:

  • Chest discomfort, stiffness, and soreness.
  • Coughing, Phlegmy coughing, mucus-producing coughing, productive coughing, persistent cough.
  • Tiredness and exhaustion.
  • Respiratory issues, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.
  • Low-grade fever.
  • Runny and stuffed-up nose.
  • Sore throat.
  • Body soreness, back pain, headache, and muscular pain.

Although bronchitis symptoms, including congestion and inflammation of the lungs, are contagious, the underlying bacterial or viral infection spreads from person to person and makes the condition widespread.

Coughing may persist after the infectious time has passed. Sleeping could be unpleasant since a patient's cough often worsens when lying down.

Treating Bronchitis

When you seek medical care for bronchitis treatment, it's usually handled similarly to a cold or flu. Recommendations could include the following:

  • Rest.
  • Use over-the-counter painkillers.
  • Take in more fluids, for example, water.
  • Try using a humidifier or spending some time in a steamy bath to ease stuffiness.
  • Manage coughing by taking cough suppressants or expectorants.

These treatments could provide short-term symptom relief while a patient recovers from the infection. Unfortunately, many of these drugs have undesirable side effects, and most do little to stop bronchitis from recurring when a virus goes around again.

Chronic bronchitis is a chronic condition that needs to be managed to prevent or at least significantly delay its progression. The first step is to stop smoking. To help clear the airways, lower inflammation, and guard against recurrent infections, steroids, bronchodilators, and antibiotics can be provided.

Some medical procedures can also have harmful side effects. When administered for an extended period, corticosteroids can especially harm the liver. Changing one's habits drastically, such as quitting smoking, is not as easy as it sounds.

Luckily, TCM herbal remedies and acupuncture serve as an alternative to treating the deeper underlying causes of bronchitis and aiding in giving up smoking when necessary.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Provides Safe, Efficient Treatment For Bronchitis

Antibiotics are frequently used in western treatments to treat chronic bronchitis. However, these drugs can harm the body if used in large or prolonged quantities, and they won't even work if the source is a virus rather than a bacterial infection. Steroids are frequently administered to treat the continuous inflammation associated with chronic bronchitis, although when taken frequently, these medications can significantly damage the liver.

Traditional Chinese medicine offers natural relief by resolving the core imbalances that initially made you susceptible to bronchitis. This viewpoint contends that many occurrences of bronchitis are caused by a condition known as wind or lung invasion, with both cold and hot winds producing varying telltale symptoms. There could also be lung dampness, Qi deficiency of the lungs and spleen, or kidney and spleen Yang deficiency.

After a thorough evaluation of your condition by an acupuncturist, they may suggest a treatment plan that includes both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines to bring the body back to its natural state of balance.

Needling three important acupuncture sites in the Back Shu has been shown to alleviate coughing in patients with chronic bronchitis. You can improve and strengthen your acupuncture treatments by taking different herbal supplements.

The Benefits of Acupuncture for Bronchitis

Traditional Chinese Medicine asserts that pathogenic factors like dampness and wind, which damage the respiratory and other related organ systems, are to blame for bronchitis. A licensed acupuncturist will examine a patient's symptoms to determine which organ systems are likely to be at play and then develop a treatment plan that may include herbal remedies and acupuncture.

They may consist of the following:

  • Lung dampness.
  • Lung dryness.
  • Lung deficiency.
  • Wind invasion.
  • Phlegm-heat lung obstruction.
  • Yang deficiency in the spleen and kidney.
  • Qi deficiency in the spleen.
  • A lack of Qi or Yin.

Many studies have demonstrated that when treating post-infectious chronic coughs, acupuncture therapy, and herbal remedies may prove more successful than regular medications.

According to studies, acupuncture could help ease coughing, lessen phlegm production, and minimize bronchial damage and inflammation. Besides that, it could improve immunological performance.

For example, individuals suffering from chronic bronchitis who have been using steroids for several years could be capable of lowering or discontinuing their reliance on steroids after undergoing acupuncture therapy for a couple of months.

Combining Chinese herbs can aid with bronchitis symptoms while acting on other grounds. They can enhance immunity, encourage the development of new, healthier tissues, and aid in eliminating toxic substances from tissues, making the body more capable of promptly fending off viruses the next time they are present.

Natural Remedies for Bronchitis

Acupuncture and herbs tailored to your condition can aid your recovery. Additionally, you can strengthen your overall lung health by engaging in the following habits:

  • Steer clear of dairy products as they cause more mucus production.
  • To remain hydrated and maintain a thin phlegm, try drinking warm teas, ginger root tea, or lemon water. Stay away from dehydrating beverages like alcohol and caffeine. Ginger aids in reducing inflammation.
  • You can eat an Asian pear after steaming it until it becomes quite soft. This helps in mucous clearance.
  • It could be helpful to learn proper breathing methods; have an acupuncturist demonstrate these for you.
  • Use Yin Qiao tablets as soon as you notice a sore throat or cough. If taken in the early stages of illness, this formulation can help fight off coughs and colds.

What Should I Think About Before Getting Acupuncture and TCM?

Since it is a complementary therapy, acupuncture shouldn't replace other medically recommended treatments.

Anyone considering acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain or any other ailment should first consult their doctor for medical advice. Acupuncturists are permitted to practice as primary care providers in certain jurisdictions.

Is it Safer to Utilize TCM and Acupuncture Than Western Medicine?

Experts agree that it is safe if you find a qualified practitioner. This is particularly true for cupping, tai chi, acupuncture, and moxibustion.

Traditional herbs could be a little more challenging. They do not follow similar FDA procedures as pharmaceuticals. As a result, much research has yet to be done on them, making it hard to determine their exact contents.

Moreover, herbs could have adverse effects or affect other medications you are taking. Again, it's crucial to consult someone who thoroughly understands their field. Also, always start by consulting your doctor.

Find an Torrance Acupuncturist Near Me

Whenever a respiratory illness progresses to a chronic cough or bronchitis that recurs over and over, it is essential to consider treatment. Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can assist in your recovery from bronchial infections more swiftly and comfortably. Regular acupuncture treatments can break the vicious cycle of chronic coughs.

Trinity Acupuncture is a TCM and acupuncture clinic focusing on holistic care. We are always available to answer any queries you may have regarding acupuncture treatments. Call us at 310-371-1777 if you need assistance finding a skilled and licensed acupuncturist in Torrance, California.